I’ve been a DC Universe subscriber for over two years now and have loved it. I’ll be sorry to see it come to an end in January and be reborn as a comics only site (though I’ll still be a loyal and happy subscriber) but what I’ll miss most about this place are two things:
Its potential.
Shows like Titans, Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn and Stargirl have proven that this place can create great shows that resonate with audiences and tell unique, compelling stories that build upon established DC characters.
Shows like DC Daily, DC Book Club, DC All-Star Games were great at both interacting with the audience, promoting DC comics and characters and having fun with the whole process. I wish the three shows that fans created had gotten made and we could have seen what they would become.
The summation of the above was briefly realized in The Absolute Binge Editions of Titans and Swamp Thing. The interviews from DC Daily, the behind-the-scenes looks at the shows, the panel discussions and the bonus content all came together with the original content itself to make a great product. I loved watching each series with the curated playlists that they were able to build and it enhanced every episode and the series itself. I’ll miss those. A lot.
Given more time, and with the addition of The Snyder Cut, the Batman series and all big-ticket DC movies there’s no doubt this place would have grown and become a strong success. But I get it - easier to have HBO Max for all of Warner’s TV content so it is what it is. I’ve chosen to take the approach of being thankful this place existed at all rather than mourn it’s coming to an end. I’m glad I got more than two years to have and enjoy this app and to watch the shows and extras that came with it. I’ll be an HBO Max subscriber and hope they succeed with their DC content and I’ll still be here reading comics for years to come.
Certainly the video content leaving, I will miss that. The multimedia element is certainly what drew me to DCU in the first place. But, it became pretty obvious pretty quick that the video portion, especially making new shows was not viable in the long term. DCU was not going to succeed by spending 100+ million a year on new content. The subscriber base just isn’t there.
I like to think of it like we were the testbed for things they wouldn’t otherwise have taken risks on. Like MA shows and (to the general public at large) niche characters like Titans, Doom Patrol, ST, and Stargirl. Not to I n mention doing an MA animated series with Harley Quinn.
I’ll still be around for the comics, but also to say “I was there and part of a great experiment.”
Agreed. The care DC Universe took with content to expand on the material people were (directly) paying for was probably worth quite a bit more than the subscription fee.
I’d also like to add that (almost) every show went through the same cycle of interest for me:
This seems like a bad idea.
I’m paying for it, so I might as well give it a chance.
I guess it’s fine.
I’m looking forward to every episode, so I guess it was actually a great idea.
Doom Patrol was the exception, since I was already a fan of that property, so it just skipped to “this is great!” But especially with DC Daily and its related content, I’m honestly surprised that the show hasn’t become a template for streaming services, because a watchable show getting people excited about watching other things seems like a solid investment, ,though I guess it works better when your streaming service has a focus instead of potentially streaming anything.
Like yourself, I see that HBO Max is “just business.” I won’t be following over; it’s not worth the extra money to me, but I’m sure it’s ideal for some customers. And it’s for exactly these reasons. They want to please everybody, and I don’t think that’s going to work.
I’ve got a lot in my queue to watch before January 20th:
Titans Absolute Binge Watch Edition
Swamp Thing Absolute Binge Watch Edition
ALL the DC Nation Shorts
Krypton (Season Two)
Birds of Prey
Human Target (Both seasons)
If I get through those I’ll try to watch some/all of the following:
The Adventures of Superboy (All seasons)
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (All seasons)
The Flash (1990 series)
I’ve got just over three full months, no kids, lots of free time and with a list that long I’ll always have something to watch. Wish I could still earn rewards points for all of that!
I love this place and this community - so nice to have a place to geek out on DC stuff with people that get it and support the obsession.
I’m going to miss the video content Mostly. Having it all in House on the same app. Was a “one stop shop” and the care and detail put into EVERY Aspect of the app by the Staff… Bigwigs, actors/Host, to the admins. And moderators. This was TRULY an idea From Fans for THE FANS! I’m over the moon with the 2 years and change we got!.., and I’ll look forward to DCUI when im Eventually (it will happen) make my way over again there! thanks to all that made this Amazing Fan experience Possible!
That to me is one of the things I regret most about DC Universe losing the video content. I guess it is possible they will try to go through with it on HBO MAX or elsewhere (would seem a good fit for CW Seed), I have a feeling they are not going to be made which is a shame. Both because I feel bad for three winners to get so close to it being made and through no fault of anyone having it cut down just before they could even film the pilots.
And because all three of them had potential and seems at a time had support from DC and Warner, the Arkham Asylum one especially I seem to remember even got brielfy brought up at a DC panel at C2E2. Shame that such a unique idea and great opportunity for three people will most likely be resigned to the “what might have been” pile.
Been here since it went live. I do not have as much time to spend on the site as some, but I have always enjoyed the time I could spend. Whether lurking in the forums, watching all the excellent new shows (or catching those I missed), or enjoying the comic books. The site will change, no doubt. Gaint corporations and board rooms only care about the fan base if the stock is trending positive. Not here, though. DCU was our little corner, and the only concern was “what cool sh#! can I find today?” I will stick around after the change, but I will miss the soul of what DCU was trying to be.
I hate to be the bearer of even worse news, but you have less time than you think. DC universe will be shutting down in its current form sometime in December. So you have only until whenever that is to read any comic series that you were in the middle of, and watch any shows that you don’t feel like having to go to HBO max to finish.
Personally that means I have to watch all of the teen titans cartoon, and static shock before this gets shut down. I have HBO max because I’m already paying for it through my cable subscription, but that doesn’t mean I want to have to go there to finish it. Right now I’m in the middle of reading Batman: Death of the Family so I have to finish that because I won’t remember which issue I left off on by the time the service relaunches on my birthday next year. I will keep the comic service for the minimum of one more year, because there are so many series that I have not read yet, and it will probably take me a year to read them all. But they’re going to have to increase their value to me if they want to keep my subscription once I’ve read everything I care to.
I am somewhat corrected. The FAQ was updated since I last looked at it. Apparently if you intend to keep your subscription to DC universe unlimited they promised uninterrupted access to content during the transition. Keep in mind I’m sure this only applies to comics and not the TV programs that they will not be giving access to. So definitely get your watching in now while you can.
I’m staying on board for the comics, and moving to HBO Max for the shows and movies. HBO is worth the extra money for me because I’m interested in a lot more than just their DC stuff.
I too have been here from the beginning and have enjoyed the DC Original Shows and Great Actors/Actresses it was great while it lasted .thanks DCU you’ve been good to me.
Wow! Really well said. I could not possibly agree with you more and now thanks to you I’m gonna go with the happy memories of DCUniverse (watched every single DC Daily!) and not wallow in the sadness of it’s passing.
I do the same thing with Superfriends! My wife got me some wireless sleep phones and I turn on Superfriends and listen to them as I drift off. It’s funny how just listening to them has made me realize how few voice actors were involved in those shows (Casey Kasem was not just Robin but was also involved in every evil plot, I believe!) and how great Ted Knight was as the narrator.
thanks to all that made this Amazing Fan experience Possible!
